sacremento

SOUTH SACRAMENTO, CA- 4 suspects arrested in South Sacramento jewelry store robbery where woman was shot, killed.

by Armed RobberyArrestsCrime SuspectsCrime VideosMurder of JewelerUncategorized

SOUTH SACRAMENTO, CA – Four suspects have been arrested in connection to a robbery at a jewelry store in south Sacramento where deputies said a woman died after she was inadvertently shot.

On Nov. 15, around 11:45 a.m., deputies responded to Kim Tin Jewelry on Stockton Boulevard, where they contacted the store owner and found his 58-year-old wife suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the head.

Deputies said the woman was taken to the hospital where she later died.

The suspects were able to get away with stolen items and have been on the run for months.

But on Friday, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said four suspects have been arrested in connection with the robbery.

During an investigation, deputies said they learned a group of about a dozen suspects forced their way into the jewelry store by breaking the front door.

The suspects smashed display cases using hammers and pickaxes, taking a large amount of jewelry, deputies said.

Detectives then learned the store owner began shooting at the suspects. This is when the owner’s wife was inadvertently shot.

A suspect was also shot, but they were able to get away.

Deputies said they eventually arrested three brothers: 22-year-old Nethaniel Fuimaono of Concord, 19-year-old Sonny Fuimaono of Suisun City and 28-year-old Aaron Fuimaono of San Francisco. Hanson Dang, a 19-year-old from Suisun City, was also arrested.

Deputies said Nethaniel and Sonny were armed with handguns when they were arrested.

According to jail records, Aaron was booked on robbery and conspiracy charges. Nethaniel was booked on grand theft, organized retail theft, robbery and firearm charges. Sonny was booked on robbery and carrying a loaded gun charges. Dang was booked into jail on a robbery charge.

Aaron’s bail was set at $1 million while the other three suspects are not eligible for bail, jail records show.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing and is looking to make more arrests in connection with the robbery.

Article provided by CBS News, click here to view.

wyomissing

WYOMISING, PA- GRAB AND RUN.

by Daily BlogGrab and RunUncategorized

On February 23, at the Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing, PA, a jewelry store reported a theft. An employee left a tray of diamond pendants out on the center island, while she was assisting a customer. With her back turned, a male suspect, approached the kiosk and began looking around. He had noticed the tray of diamond pendants on the center island and when the employee had her attention on the other customer, the suspect leaned over and stole the tray. He left on foot in an unknown direction.

Suspect(s) Description: Spanish Male, about 5’8” with athletic build, about 200 lbs., in his mid 30s. Wearing black hoodie and black ball cap with white lettering.

If you have any information regarding this incident or information on this suspect, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org or 212-687-0328.

Handcuffs

Newark, NJ- ARRESTED- Crew broke into N.J. store through ceiling. Member caught with $10K watch arrested, cops say.

by ArrestsBurglaryCrime NewsCrime SuspectsCrimesDaily BlogUncategorized

Newark, NJ– A member of a South American theft group was charged with federal crimes after he was caught with a wristwatch that he allegedly stole from an Essex County mall last year, investigators announced Tuesday.

Gustavo Ignacio Salas Ortega, 33, of Chile, and the group scouted the unidentified jewelry store that was located at a mall “in or around Millburn,” before committing the burglary, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey.

He and the others entered the store through the ceiling and a hole they cut through an adjacent wall to steal multiple pieces of jewelry, the office said.

When police officers arrived at the business on Oct. 5, they reviewed surveillance footage which showed five people wearing masks, gloves, and some wearing reflective vests near the store while carrying bags and a collapsible ladder, according to a criminal complaint.

Further review of the footage showed some of the men, including Salas Ortega, surveilling and scouting the location of the store on both the day of and the day before the burglary, the complaint stated. He was not wearing a mask and his face was visible in the footage.

On Oct. 14, police, including members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, detained Salas Ortega in Rochelle Park. They recovered the wristwatch, which he had also been seen wearing in ATM surveillance footage in New York a few days earlier, authorities said.

Detectives determined that the watch, which had been purchased for $10,800, was at the jewelry store for maintenance work, according tot he complaint.

Salas Ortega was charged with one count of conspiracy to receive stolen property that had crossed state lines and one count of receiving stolen property that had crossed state lines, the office said.

“The Joint Organized Crime Task Force has been working tirelessly to apprehend these alleged criminals, following a labyrinth of conspirators that span multiple states,” FBI-Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly said in a statement. “These alleged criminals are part of South American theft groups who have been targeting stores throughout the United States for months.”

Salas Ortega was detained Tuesday after his appearance in federal court in Newark, officials said

Article provided by NJ.com, click here to view.

el cajon

EL CAJON, CA- GRAB AND RUN

by Daily BlogUncategorized

El Cajon, CA– On January 20, 2025, a jewelry store experienced a grab & run theft incident. Upon entry into the store, the suspect inquired about Rolex watches then gold chains. While viewing a 24-inch gold rope chain, the suspect ran off with it in his possession. El Cajon Police Department was notified.

Suspect(s) Description: Male Black, light complected, 20-23 yrs old, thin build, 5’11”. Wearing dark blue zip-up jacket with matching joggers, white t-shirt, white sneakers.

If you have any information regarding this incident or information on this suspect, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org or 212-687-0328.

booking photos of two Romanian nationals

United Kingdom, England – A pair of Romanian Nationals arrested and sentenced to prison for thefts from Jewelry stores.

by ArrestsInternationalUncategorized

United Kingdon, England – A pair of brazen thieves were caught on CCTV stealing £15,000 worth of gold chains from a shop while on a crime spree totaling almost £50,000 across the country.

Married Vadar-Ghimes and Zinca Agafitei, both 46, were arrested after taking ten gold chains worth £15,000 from a jeweller’s in Norfolk.

Enquiries revealed they had swiped jewelry worth another £48,000 from other locations around the Midlands and southern England in just a few weeks – after being allowed into the country despite a ‘similar’ spree of distraction thefts and burglaries, mainly at small, independent businesses in Italy, Malta, Turkey and Germany

To view the article and photos provided by the Daily mail, click here.

Burglary Suspects

Three suspects sentenced to prison following arrests for string of burglaries

by Uncategorized

Burglary Suspects

Muskingum County, Ohio – On December 10, 2024, the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office issued a press release announcing that three suspects have been sentenced for their role in a series of burglaries at jewelry stores. The press release is below. Click here to read additional information about the suspects’ arrest. The three suspects are pictured above.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Multi-State Multimillion-Dollar Jewel Thieves Sentenced to Prison
Three thieves running a multimillion-dollar, multi-state jewel theft ring were sentenced to prison for their crimes.

On December 5, Pedro Garcia, 44, of Los Angeles, California, appeared in Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas for sentencing.

Judge Kelly Cottrill sentenced Garcia to serve 14 years in prison.

Rafael Flores Hernandez, 39, and Reyes Higuera, 51, were sentenced on December 9. Hernandez will serve up to 16½ years in prison. Higuera will serve up to 14 years behind bars.

At earlier hearings, Hernandez, Higuera, and Garcia all pleaded guilty to felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and felony aggravated theft.

Hernandez and Higuera are illegal aliens from Mexico and have been deported from the United States multiple times. Garcia is a legal resident from California.

The thieves’ multimillion-dollar crime spree case began in May 2023 in Illinois when they broke into a jewelry store. The bandits smashed jewelry cases and used large plastic totes to haul away the jewelry.

Garcia and the other thieves robbed more jewelry stores between May 2023 and August 2024 in Illinois, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia. Each robbery lasted about two minutes.

Forsythe County, Georgia Sheriff’s Department Detective Caleb Martin was assigned the case, conducting a dogged one-man nationwide manhunt for the crew.

Determined to see the bandits brought to justice, Det. Martin worked tirelessly along with the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, an industry safety association, to track down details of other thefts, watch surveillance videos, and coordinate intelligence from other agencies.

His efforts were rewarded by being appointed to a Federal Bureau of Investigations task force allowing him to continue his investigation of the bandits.

Over the next several months, Martin contacted multiple law enforcement agencies and warned them that the trio was targeting stores in their area, but the thieves remained on the loose until they came to Zanesville.

In July, Martin contacted the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office about the theft ring. The Sheriff’s Office took immediate action, using advanced technology to track the thieves and monitor their whereabouts.

Over a two-week period, officers from the Sheriff’s Office and Zanesville Police Department began intensive surveillance of their movements, locally and in Columbus.

A tracker was installed on the suspects’ car. Detectives informed the local business, whose franchises had been repeatedly targeted by the trio. Officers began watching the jewelry store, waiting for the thieves to strike.

Finally, around 4:00 a.m. on August 1, the three robbers broke into their target. During this break-in, they were caught in the act. Working with other law enforcement agencies, officers from the Zanesville Police Department and Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office were waiting nearby and moved in to capture the trio of bandits after they had smashed jewelry display cases and loaded more than $170,000 of jewelry into their totes.

The three men are suspects in more than twenty similar jewelry store smash-and-grab thefts in the Southeast and Midwest United States.

In total, Garcia and the crew stole more than $3 million of jewels.

Muskingum County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Litle says cooperation between local and out-of-state law enforcement agencies made it possible to help keep the community safe by catching Garcia and the other thieves.

“It was a real pleasure to work on this case and see the ‘all hands on deck’ cooperation between local and out-of-state law enforcement, in order to catch these thieves,” Litle said. “Everyone involved in this case went the extra mile to protect not only our local businesses; but businesses nationwide.”

Litle says the imprisonment of the jewel thieves should send a message to other criminals thinking about coming to Muskingum County.

“Once again, Judge Cottrill’s sentences demonstrate that Muskingum County is not the place to commit crime,” Litle said.

Click here to see the source of the press release.

aspen2

Aspen, Co- Authorities link burglary to South American crime ring. UPDATE: Suspects arrested.

by ArrestsBurglaryCrime NewsCrime SuspectsCrimesDaily BlogUncategorized

Aspen, Colorado– The downtown burglary of an upscale Aspen retailer had similar traits to break-ins that have been carried out by South America rings that target high-end retail stores in wealthy communities, law enforcement authorities said.

As of Friday, two suspects from Chile, one from Peru and one from Argentina remained incarcerated in Pitkin County Jail, according to online jail records.

District Magistrate Judge Jill McConaughy set cash-only bond amounts of $100,000 for two suspects and $25,000 for two others at a virtual hearing held Wednesday.

To view the article provided by Rick Carrol, of the Aspen Daily News, click here.

Suspect-1

New York, NY- D.A. Bragg: Alex Borders Indicted For Using Fake Diamond Company To Steal $300K In Jewelry, Magazine Ads; $3K In Worker’s Wages

by Crime NewsCrime SuspectsCrimesUncategorized

New York, NY- Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced the indictment of ALEX BORDERS a/k/a ALEX HOLLINGER, 46, for using a purported diamond company, “Hollinger Diamonds,” to steal more than $300,000 in jewelry and advertising space in high-end magazines between August 2023 and May 2024. BORDERS also allegedly stole more than $3,000 in wages from a full-time executive assistant. BORDERS is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and six counts of Issuing a Bad Check. [1]
“As alleged, Alex Borders went to extreme lengths to create a purported diamond company and steal from consumers, magazine publications, and an employee who put in hours of work for zero pay,” said District Attorney Bragg. “With the enactment of New York State Senate Bill S2832A, wage theft is now a form of Grand Larceny, allowing us to bring stronger charges against employers who exploit their workers. This investigation is ongoing – please call the Financial Frauds Bureau at 212-335-8900 if you may be a victim.”

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, between August 9, 2023, and May 16, 2024, BORDERS allegedly stole over $300,000 in jewelry, advertising space in high-end magazines and employee wages through an entity called Hollinger Diamonds. Using the name ALEX HOLLINGER, BORDERS wrote multiple bad checks to purchase full-page color advertisements in Condé Nast publications The New Yorker and GQ. The advertisements promoted Hollinger Diamonds, which purported to be a midtown Manhattan business that purchased jewelry in exchange for “immediate payment.”

BORDERS, using the HOLLINGER alias, then arranged for at least five individuals to mail jewelry to Hollinger Diamonds in midtown Manhattan, and, after acknowledging receipt of the jewelry and a payment price, issued checks that bounced because the bank accounts those checks were drawn from had been closed or lacked sufficient funds.

The victims, who had learned about the business from the magazine advertisements or the Hollinger Diamonds website, were never paid the promised amounts, nor was their jewelry ever returned. When they contacted BORDERS or Hollinger Diamonds seeking the promised payment, BORDERS would either evade their phone calls and emails, or offer a series of excuses for not making payment.

In January 2024, BORDERS stole more than $3,000 in wages from an individual hired to work full-time as an executive assistant at Hollinger Diamonds. BORDERS first issued her a series of checks that were drawn from bank accounts that were either closed or lacked sufficient funds, and subsequently refused to make any other payment. That employee was never paid for any of the labor she performed at Hollinger Diamonds.

The victims reported the thefts to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Immigrant Affairs Unit and Financial Frauds Bureau.

Assistant D.A. Luis Morales (Chief of the Immigrant Affairs Unit) is handling the prosecution of this case with Assistant D.A. Joseph Pepe (Financial Frauds Bureau) under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Hope Korenstein (Deputy Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Assistant D.A. Kofi Sansculotte (Bureau Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), and Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division).

Press release provided by Manhattan District Attorney office, click here to view actual press release.

2023 Annual Crime Report

The Jewelers Security Alliance Publishes Its 2023 Annual Crime Report

by MediaUncategorized

New York, NY – On April 23, 2024, the Jewelers Security Alliance (JSA) published its annual crime report. The executive summary is listed below. Click the bottom link to read the full report.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. In 2023 the total dollar losses from crimes against U.S. jewelry firms reported to JSA was $133.2
million, a 2.9% increase from $129.4 million in 2022. 

2. In 2023 the total number of crimes committed against U.S. jewelry firms was 1,621, a decrease
from 2,211 in 2022, which was the highest number of crimes JSA has ever recorded. The number of
crimes in 2023 represented a 26.7% decrease from crimes reported to JSA in 2022. 

3. The crime category that experienced the greatest reduction in 2023 was Grab and Run thefts. The
number of Grab and Run thefts declined from 984 in 2022 to 663 in 2023. The reduction in the use
of face masks, which had become more prevalent as a result of Covid, has made it more difficult for
criminals to disguise themselves with masks. 

4. While the number of crimes requiring minimal skills by criminals and resulting in relatively small
losses declined in 2023, the increase in dollar losses can be attributed to highly professional
criminals and organized gangs carrying out high-dollar crimes resulting in large losses.

5. The number of off-premises crimes reported to JSA increased from 65 in 2022 to 100 in 2023.
Dollar losses from off-premises crimes reported to JSA in 2023 was $40.4 million, which
represented an increase of 112.6% from $19.0 million in losses reported in 2022.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LATEST ANNUAL CRIME STATISTICS REPORT AND READ MORE

jcpenny

El Paso, TX- Police seek subject in jewelry heist at Cielo Vista Mall

by Crime NewsUncategorized

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) � The El Paso Police Department needs your help looking for a person who broke into a store located at in a Mall.

The subject reportedly escaped with jewelry worth a significant value. Authorities say the subject gained entry into the store by breaking through the front door. Once the subject was inside, he targeted the jewelry section, stealing various items, including gold chains.

The subject, captured on surveillance video, was seen wearing a dark baseball cap, a black jacket with blue sleeves, dark gray pants, and black shoes. Footage from the day before showed the same individual walking through the store before its closing hours.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for anyone who has any information that leads to an arrest.

If you have any information regarding this subject, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org or 212-687-0328.

Click here to read an article about this crime.